When my dealings with the Hokage about my clan were made public I was prepared to run away from Akatsuki. But that turned out unnecessary because the regent Hokage reaffirmed my status as a rogue shinobi.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
I never dared to hope to return to my village, but...
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
My 'membership' in Akatsuki was not affected by the news revealed by Sayaka's coup. If anything, Konan and Kisame gave me strange looks. Konan's look was laced with pity, that much I understood, and Kisame's with companionship... Kisame will always be a mystery to me.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
Pain quickly gave us the mission to confirm Konoha's jinchūriki's status and make contact with Sayaka... Her association with Akatsuki was both a shocking discovery to me and something I could see happening when dealing with her.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
Why? Because she was always stronger than she let on, I know she could have given 'Madara' a tougher fight that night, but she didn't. I always assumed it was because she didn't care about the clan, but if the appearance of my mother is to be believed, she evacuated those she cared about, and I wouldn't find it unbelievable if she saved the children, she always had a soft spot for children.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
... Not that it matters to me. My mother would never forgive me and if she did I would rather she didn't. Sayaka would not ever allow Izumi to get near me, so nothing changed. Whether the Uchiha survived or not, does not change my purpose.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
My purpose... What was my purpose? Passing my eyes to my little brother... But how would that work? Do I have to kill one of his paramours? Otherwise, I don't see him awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan... But, what for? Sayaka would never allow Sasuke to suffer under the plans of Akatsuki.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
Maybe there's something I'm not understanding... Sayaka is part of Akatsuki, but why is that so? She doesn't need anything from them, or maybe it has to do with the Rinnegan... That sounds farfetched, but it's possible... Maybe she has a way of ensuring that her loved ones do not suffer under the plans of Akatsuki, at least that way I can see her allowing this madness to go on.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
But if that's the case... Why would I even need my little brother to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan? Sasuke won't care about anybody he doesn't care about, he is self-centered like that, Sayaka be thanked. Does he even need the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
"Sayaka, about Sasuke's Sharingan..."- I inquired.
"I fused his eyes with those of Fugaku, I made some modifications and he should naturally awaken his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan as he grows in strength."- Sayaka replied with a knowing smile... which shouldn't be strange, I always suspected she could read minds.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
"Does that mean that Itachi's crazy little brother will be stronger than him?"- Kisame asked with his classical fiendish smile.
"Sharkman, do you think your almost blind partner with one foot in the grave is stronger than the child I raised and trained?"- It's no surprise she knows about my nearsightedness or my sickness, but her words mean that Sasuke was not giving his all during his match.
"So that's how it is..."- Kisame smiled back at me.
... Why am doing this?
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
Sasuke doesn't need nor want my eyes... He doesn't care about the massacre I perpetuated.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
With the Third Hokage gone, I lost the point of contact to receive the information I collect... but based on how no one stopped our clones when we walked into the village wearing the uniform of Akatsuki, it can be said that the Third didn't share the intel I sent with anybody...
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
... With Sayaka officially joining Akatsuki, even if I send intel to the village, it won't matter.
Goodbye, forever, Itachi.
...
...
...
...
...
...
... Why did Sasuke say 'Goodbye, forever'?...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Oh...
"Sayaka, are you going to kill me?"- So that's why.
We stopped moving and Kisame looked at her with his usual dubious and sardonic smile.
"PFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"- She exploded in disparaging laughter.
"HAHAHahahaha! I was, yes. I was totally going to kill you for betraying me, Itachi."- She smiled amusedly.
"Was?"- I got my hopes up for a moment. Does that mean my life is not over yet?
"Yes, I was going to kill you. But then I met you. Blind as a mole, a cough away from total respiratory failure, and after Sasuke gave up on you and blessed you with his apathy... you're empty... I don't need to kill you, Itachi. You died when Sasuke stopped caring about you, you're already dead. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
... Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi. Goodbye, forever, Itachi...
"I see."
*Shunk*- Itachi pulled a kunai and stabbed his neck.
*Sqwelp*- Under the disbelieving eyes of Kisame—yet amused stare—and the apathy of Sayaka, he dragged the kunai and cut his neck open.
*Thud*- Itachi let go... and fell backward.
'Amatera-'- He thought but was interrupted.
"Na-ah! Those eyes are for Mikoto. Don't worry, I'll get rid of the rest."- Itachi's eyes floated out of his head—without reacting to the pain of having his eyes gouged out—and presented themselves to Sayaka. She quickly stored them in a vial of green fluid and then made the vial teleport to Abeyance. Finally, A red ring that read "scarlet" (朱, shu) floated and landed on Sayaka's storage script.
"[Amaterasu.]"- She said without looking at her dead ex-friend.
"How ruthless."- Kisame added, his words not reflecting his mood.
"This is the most amusing thing I've ever seen."- Now his words did reflect his mood.
"You're a child, Sharkman... maybe I should call you Sharkid... No, that's not it... Sharkboyo... No... That's not it..."- Sayaka paused what she was saying to consider a better nickname for Kisame.
|Sharkboy!|
'Yes, that's it! Why does it sound better?'
|Because of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.|
'Oh, I remember now! It's from one of those movies you showed me!'
"Sharkboy!... As I was saying, you're a child, what do you know of amusement? With the amount of death you've been around, the simple yet truthful and inevitable suicide of Itachi brought you amusement, that's almost as sad as Itachi's life."
"I don't think it is that bad."- Kisame retorted.
"Hoh~ So even in that fucked up head of yours you understand how sad his suicide and life were... Color me surprised, I thought you could barely process an empathic observation like that."
"I search for truth, whether ugly or not, it doesn't matter. I'm grateful to Itachi, his little brother, and you, who allowed me to witness Itachi's truth."- Kisame smiled with his usual madness.
|What did you expect from a group put together by Obito Uchiha? Kakuzu is the sanest person in Akatsuki and that's saying a lot.|
'I thought Konan was the sanest.'
|I'm not sure, but her inability to act despite the clear hole her friend is digging for themselves was the deal breaker for me.|
'... Yeah, that's insanity. You're right, Kakuzu is the sanest.'
"Let's get going. We don't want to make mister God Pain wait."- Sayaka smirked.
'God! Hahahahahaha!'
|It almost made me laugh.|
'Right?!'
Kisame and Sayaka made way to Amegakure. The home of the now-deceased 'Demigod' Hanzo and currently of the 'God' Nagato, interestingly enough the closest that village has been to housing divinity is Sayaka's current visit. Kaguya never set foot on that part of the world.
Amegakure was the capital of the rain of the world, as well as industrialism. At least the city was highly industrialized, not that its poverty spoke of the supposed prosperity industrialism is supposed to bring.
When Sayaka stepped under the rainy climate, the water seemed to avoid her. She was not shielding herself with a psionic shield. She floated in the same manner she had done so far, but every single raindrop that approached her deviated around her. It created this spray around her, barely perceptible, but there.
Kisame glanced at the phenomenon but ignored it. His sole task was to guide the Monster to their base, he was not tasked to ask questions about matters that might get him killed if he annoyed the monster.
Kisame brought her to the figurative doorstep of their base and then went away.
Sayaka floated inside the tallest building of Amegakure and followed the path to the chakra signatures that awaited her.
After entering, going through a few barriers and seals, an underground space awaited her. On the furthest wall, the Gedō Mazō, sitting in a lotus position, was found.
'So that's where my immortals rest, I should mark their souls during these years.'
Resting above the head of the statue, like the self-proclaimed god he was, Nagato's corpse puppet observed her. By his side, Konan, his ever-loyal Angel, stood. Obito Uchiha was present in his Tobi disguise, and Black Zetsu was by his side.
Sayaka ignored them and brought out the conscience-less body of the One-Tails. She fractured the crystal sphere and the colossal body of Shukaku emerged.
*BOOM!*- The ground shook, and Amegakure above experienced an almost imperceptible tremor.
Under the perplexed stares of the God, the Angel, the mistake child, and the dreamer, Sayaka said:
"Eat!"- Nine dragons of light blue chakra emerged from the mouth of the statue and absorbed the One-Tails. The process took about eight seconds.
They didn't know it yet, because they hadn't started sealing tailed beasts, but this was a timeframe impossible for them to replicate.
"Why can she use the Gedō Mazō?"- Asked Konan.
The corpse puppet stared unamusedly at Sayaka, but Nagato was just as surprised as Konan. To Zetsu it was obvious that Sayaka could manipulate the statue, its mother had manipulated the God Tree in front of her, and Madi Futagami could replicate everything she witnessed. To Obito, did it matter? No, he only cared about his dream world with his dream waifu, if another person could help reach his dream, then so be it.
"The control of the Gedō Mazō from the Rinnegan is inherited from the control the mother of The Sage of the Six Paths had over it. I learned from observing her. This is not that different."- Sayaka replied from far away but they all heard it as if she had spoken right beside them.
"What happened to Itachi, Sayaka?"- Obito asked, Zetsu had informed him that they had returned with Itachi absent.
"He took his life after he discovered how purposeless it was."- Sayaka brought the ring out of her storage and wore it on her thumb.
Obito didn't express it, but he was counting on the birth of another pair of Rinnegan, or at least a pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, so he was annoyed by how Sayaka's interference left him empty-handed, again.
"I have this ring, I guess it's mine now, Dreaming Kid."
The ring was too big for her slender fingers, but she shrunk it with chakra.
"I'm just missing the robe, do you have one of my size?"- Sayaka asked. She was still small, definitely the shortest of the group.
"Sayaka Uchiha, or should I address you by another name?"- Pain asked. By now, everybody who mattered knew of Sayaka's identity... what was understood about her identity, at least.
"My original name is in another tongue, so just call me Sayaka, it's easier for all of us, Mister Puppeteer."- Sayaka replied.
'Maybe calling him a puppeteer is not right.'
|He is a puppet by the power of four, so maybe not.|
'I know, but it would be annoying if he goes all God-Complex on me if I call him a puppet, and I don't feel like bothering with that.'
"State your purpose in joining Akatsuki."- Pain demanded.
"The Ten-Tails and I have some history. Or more like I have some business with it, it has something of mine. My business won't interfere with your whole peace-by-fear and pain plan, so don't worry about it. Besides, I made deals with the Tailed-Beasts a few centuries ago, while we won't count on the cooperation of their jailers, the Tailed-Beasts will cooperate with me, so I bring only advantages to Akatsuki."- Sayaka made her sales pitch.
"Only benefits, you say. What about the enmity of the strongest Hidden Village and Iwagakure?"- The Angel asked.
"That's not a problem. Konoha won't interfere with me because they know I'm an expert in script and fūinjutsu, they'll be afraid of me having left some sort of bomb behind and activating it if they piss me off. Iwagakure is a joke now that their strongest is dead."- Sayaka explained.
"You forget about their two jinchūriki."- The Angel countered.
"No, I didn't. They don't know where they are. They have a certain idea of their possible locations, but their relationship is so icy that the jinchūriki have not stepped into their village in years. Kumogakure has no problem with me, Kirigakure even less, and Sunagakure will move at my command, overall you'd be boarding the success express with me. I just need three years to get things in order and then we can start the acquisition of the other Tailed-Beasts."- Her sales pitch was perfect.
"A deal? Why would the beasts allow themselves to be sealed off?"- Pain asked.
"Just because."- Sayaka curtly replied.
"Answer properly!"- Pain demanded.
Zetsu was wondering if today he would lose his capable pawn Nagato.
"It's part of the deal. They already claimed their reward, now they have to deliver. Why do you care? This happened a few centuries ago, it has nothing to do with you."- Sayaka replied.
"What's your business with the Ten-Tails?"- Pain asked.
"...It has a key to a seal. It is the key."- Sayaka.
"A seal?"- Konan. She wondered how that was possible.
"A seal? For what?"- He asked.
"You don't need to know, Puppeteer."- Sayaka said, she was getting bored of the questioning.
Pain had enough of his authority being questioned and flared his chakra on Sayaka.
"You don't know your place."- He coldly added.
'Oh no...'- Zetsu thought.
"...~Heh. Kid, do you believe yourself capable of telling me where's my place?"- She calmly yet mockingly asked. She was not flaring her chakra.
Pain's pressure on her increased after seeing her nonchalance, but he didn't retort, he stared at her, waiting—demanding—for an answer. He believed a God didn't repeat himself!
"Hahahaha! You're so funny. Do you think those eyes make you a God? If that's the case, have you ever wondered what happened to the first 'God' who bore the Rinnegan?"
"I'm the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths. If a mortal like you can reincarnate, why can't a God like me do it as well?"- At least this is what 'Madara' told him.
'Oh, well. I have Madi-sama's cooperation now, it doesn't matter if this pawn dies.'- Zetsu gave Obito a signal so that he could be ready to Kamui away.
"Oh, really?!"-Sayaka smiled widely.
"Then, my son, where have you been all these years? Haven't you missed me? Is this the tone to talk to the woman who breastfed you and changed your diapers?"- Sayaka floated to the statue, closer to the shocked Angel and God.
"... What nonsense are you talking about?!"- Pain demanded.
"Come on, Hagoromo-chan. Don't you have something to say to me?"- Sayaka had a motherly smile plastered on her face.
"..."- Pain didn't reply and kept increasing the pressure on Sayaka.
"Is this the attitude you should have with the woman you betrayed?"- Sayaka's bloodlust and chakra exploded and Amegakure above fell unconscious. Obito Kamui'd away with Zetsu. Konan started bleeding from her orifices while trying to combat the bloodlust. Nagato below the chamber holding the statue, bled as much as Konan did, but his Pain puppet kept up with his God act.
"Betrayed?"- The puppet managed to ask. Konan's legs were trembling, she couldn't breathe.
"Nagato... Didn't you ever wonder what happened to your so-called god?"- Sayaka's motherly smile disappeared and was replaced by her usual stoicism.
"... He reincarnated."- He barely managed to keep up with his pretenses.
"Nagato, I killed him. Effortlessly snapped his neck... Don't act like you're the reincarnation of Hagoromo in front of me, Nagato Uzumaki!"- Against all expectations and hopes, her bloodlust increased and her chakra started placing physical weight on the world.
"Because if you were his reincarnation... we would be having a different kind of talk!"- The bloodlust disappeared. The pressure of her chakra soon followed after.
The Pain puppet fell from the height of the statue and slammed into the ground. Nagato passed out. Konan fell forward to her death, at least she would have if Sayaka had not intervened.
'Maybe I should be done with this. This 'God' is about the current peak of power in the world, bar the descendants of Hamura in the Moon. I don't think we will have any problem if we start collecting the pets now.'
|But we don't know what play the twins have under their sleeve. It doesn't matter much, but it's only three years. After that, when you die, I'll heal and we can power through every obstacle and be done with this Multiverse.|
'I know... But I...'
|If you want we can start looking for the protector you wanted to leave behind.|
'*Sigh* Yeah, Luci. That sounds lovely. We were considering Madara Uchiha, right?'
|Yes, he had all the qualifications for the job, but we should find a way to power him up to the Ōtsutsuki level.|
'That's complicated, we don't have enough time for that and we promised the pets to release them after unsealing Kaguya, so we can't leave him as the God Tree's jinchūriki.'
|You're right. Unless we stay in this world longer, we won't be able to safely power him up sufficiently...|
'Can't you manipulate time and then we take our time powering him up?'
|When you do that there are shockwaves after the manipulation is finished—at least in this Multiverse—since I'm not going to be here to take care of the shockwaves I rather not touch time.|
'So external help it is.'
|External help it is.|
'Okay! Let's take our time and either capture a parasite and brainwash them, or peek at other universes and find a guardian of sorts.'
|Those options are manageable.|
Sayaka walked out of the building and did some tourism in the unconscious village, she took her time to heal those who needed healing and looked for a house to rent or buy... Since everybody was unconscious, she went outside the village and built a cottage, it was small but that hardly mattered when you could expand space with script.
Lucian helped her build the cottage and barely an hour later it was done. A few minutes after that the script was inscribed and she unpacked her stuff from her storage script. Then she fell asleep. She was tired of the bullshit of life and wanted to have some cuddling time in her mindscape with Lucian.
In the ocean of stars, as it was their custom, Madelyne floated atop Lucian and he played content from his first life. He was missing big chunks of his memory, but aside from factual knowledge and some partial memories of his first life, he also counted with some memories of popular culture.
'So this one is called Inception?'
|Yes, the ending is subjective, so I didn't like it that much the first time I saw it... I believe. But as I got older I learned to like the subjectivity of endings... I think.|
'Don't worry, Love. When you get your memories back you can tell me all about what you think of this movie and the rest.'
And so, the two spent the night watching movies Lucian found in his memories. There were not that many, but plenty enough.
______________________
"Nagato... are you alright?"- Konan stood by Nagato in an underground space below the chamber that contained the Gedō Mazō. Her face had traces of dry blood all over.
She had not woken up that long ago, but the first thing she did was find her way to Nagato. She had not fully recovered, so it's more precise to say she stumbled to him.
"Konan..."- Nagato, with a raspy voice, muttered.
He was not alright, Sayaka had concentrated her bloodlust on him, and for all intents and purposes, Nagato was crippled by the Rinnegan, so he bore a greater burden than her.
"I used the Rinnegan to combat it... It must have sapped some of my Life Force."- This was the only way he saw out of the black hole of bloodlust Sayaka threw him in.
Nagato looked at his trembling hand and closed it tightly into a fist.
"What was that?"- Konan slumped down next to Nagato.
"I don't know... How did you get in contact with her?"- Nagato asked the man coming out of a swirl.
"... Sayaka got in contact with me..."
"She's..."- Konan couldn't find the appropriate words.
"... A monster."- Nagato finished for her.
"I did tell you to thread carefully around her..."- Obito brought a bottle of water from Kamui and handed it to Konan. She gratefully received it.
His comment was rewarded with seething glares.
"*Sigh*... What she said, is it true?"- Nagato.
"About?"
"The part about having the collaboration of the Tailed-Beasts."- Nagato.
"Yes, as far as I know. She already got us the One-Tail, and she was on friendly terms with the Nine-Tails, that much is a fact. I was also able to find some accounts of her staying in areas where the Tailed-Beasts were sighted."- Obito added, though Zetsu, courtesy of Sayaka, provided the records.
"Centuries-old accounts?"- Konan asked, skeptically.
"Yes, she's been quite famous on several distinct occasions. Not that finding the proof of her words was easy."- Obito added to discourage them from trying to find proof on their own.
"..."
"..."
The God-Angel combo waited in silence for Obito to continue.
"Like I said, there's not much, but what I found aligns with 'our' cause. She's helped people in need, provided support and war relief, established trading routes, taught people medicine, actually most of the modern medicine knowledge has had a touch of her, and protected civilian communities during wartimes. There's more but you get the idea, she's—generally speaking—a pacifist."- Obito left out a few of the more gruesome findings Zetsu shared with him.
"A pacifist?! You call that a pacifist?!"- Konan questioned.
The bloodlust she felt... Konan was not a saint, no shinobi was. Shinobi were assassins, no matter how many flowery words you use to describe them, that was the truth, and Konan—despite her soft character—was not the exception. She could tell herself lies and half-truths about how Akatsuki's objective was peace, but the blood in the wake of her path couldn't be denied.
Konan was used to bloodlust, any shinobi worth their salts was, even more so in the case of a Kage-level powerhouse like her, but... she used the word 'bloodlust' very loosely because to her it felt similar to an inescapable torture genjutsu, it didn't feel like bloodlust at all!
Hearing 'Madara' say that Sayaka was a pacifist was similar to someone saying the sun was black.
"... She is... she is also the one responsible for humanity still existing."- Obito replied.
"Explain."- Nagato curtly said.
"... The Sage of The Six Paths, his brother, and a third party fought against the Rabbit Goddess, the mother of the sage. The fight—based on geological evidence and scarce records I found from Sunagakure—left the planet on the brink of collapse and killed more than a billion people."
"One billion, is there even that many people?"- Konan couldn't picture that many people.
"There were, not anymore. Not much is known after that, but multiple reincarnations of her were seen fixing the planet in the following centuries..."-
"..."
"..."
"She is also very prideful... the point is... whether we like it or not, she is helping us, and that's better than opposing us."- Obito concluded.
Obito soon left, not only because he didn't have more information but because he had been the one to tell Nagato that he was the reincarnation of the Sage, Obito didn't want to answer if Nagato asked about it.
The village went about its business as usual, Sayaka didn't want to deal with the mess nor did she want to greatly affect the lives of the villagers, so she broadcasted a psionic command about how nothing happened. It wasn't her usual style to mind-control people, but she was greatly done with dealing with humans.
"Could you do the same to the entire world?"- Obito asked her, he was visiting along with Zetsu her new residence.
"Yes, but I would need to prepare a few things. Why? Want me to Infinite Tsukuyomi the planet?"- She replied.
"... A world of dreams is my aspiration and reason for being."- Obito said.
"That's why I call you the Dreamer. Anyway, what do you want Obito?"- Sayaka was not particularly a fan of his, so she wanted to conclude with his business soon enough.
"... Pain set me as your partner."
"Of course he did, who else would it be if not you? The Treasurer would try to go for my head again and I would kill him, Hidan would exasperate me and I would kill him, I might join Deidara in his pursuit of art, Kisame escaped after delivering me to their doorstep, he would fear for Konan's life by my side, Itachi is dead, Orochimaru escaped from this circus, that leaves us with you and Zetsu, Zetsu is a non-combatant and you have a previous 'relationship' with me."
"It would have been easier if you didn't scare them off."
"That's your fault, why did you have to go and tell him he was the reincarnation of Hagoromo?"
"That's Madara's plan, you should know that."- Obito—due to Zetsu's manipulation—was under the impression that Sayaka was connected to The Eye of The Moon plan through Madara.
"No. There were better ways to manipulate Nagato, other than making him believe he was a god, but that's alright. He sees me as something beyond understanding, at least now I won't have to deal with his ego."- Sayaka hated to act subservient to others. Kaguya and Lucian were alright, they were family, but any other reminded her of her time with Essex, and she hated that.
"Again, there was no need for that. You put the plan in jeopardy because of your ego."- Obito added.
"... Hahahaha! Obito Uchiha, you're so fucked up in the head that for the sake of your 'dream' you can act like a dog and grovel in the ground. That's understandable, you're pathetically weak, and the weak should struggle with all of their own for their dreams. It's the way of life. That's good for you, Dreamer, but I'm not weak!"- Sayaka glared at him.
"Don't expect me to behave like you, kid. I don't need any of you, I can gather the Tailed-Beasts on my own, I can reassemble the Ten-Tails on my own, I can cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on my own, I can release my friend on my own, just like how I've been keeping this world from falling apart ON MY OWN! Don't forget it, Dreamer. I-DON'T-NEED-YOU. Any of you!"- Sayaka released a silver of her bloodlust on him and that made his body creak.
"..."- Obito stared back silently.
"Go away, kid. Seek me when you need me, otherwise, It's better for you—especially you—to keep your distance from me."- With a wave of her hand, Obito found himself in his Kamui dimension.
A silence pervaded the room and Sayaka continued eating her figs ice cream.
"Is it a problem if it turns me on when you get bossy like that?"- Sayaka felt a pair of arms envelop her in a hug from behind.
"You're past worrying about if it's a problem or not."- Sayaka shook her head.
"So what you're saying is that it's not a problem, Sister."- Sahara lowered her head to Sayaka's neck and planted a kiss.
"That's not how you kiss your sister."- Sayaka remarked but otherwise didn't resist, she knew it was futile.
"That's alright, Sayaka is not my sister, my sister was Aya."
"That excuse will only take you so far... What do Mother and Father say about your behavior?"- Sayaka knew that when they were younger they saw it as endearing, when they got older Sahara hid it because they were blood-related, but when she reincarnated Sahara stopped holding back.
"Father is happy no man is going to approach his daughters. Mother was sad about not getting grandchildren, but she got over it when I told her that you could change genders, or I could, or I could simply join your future partner and have a polyamorous relationship, or would that be considered polygamy? It doesn't matter, the point is that our parents support our relationship."- Sahara happily shared her future plans.
"... I have been betrayed by my parents."
|Her plan is viable.|
'What does that mean?'
|You don't dislike her. You don't like women, but you have been slowly starting to see Sahara as something else.|
'But that's because we've been together for centuries! I can't be faulted! I love her and I cuddled her a lot, so it was hard saying no.'
|Personally, I would prefer for Sahara to be your partner. Because I know her very well. I also believe that if you live long enough without securing your Ego and Sense of Self you'll eventually stop caring about gender. The mythology of Greek gods is a prime example.|
'... Ugh, I understand, but I still don't like women.'
|Which is why Sahara plans to use a man as a buffer. You don't like women, but are you averse to kissing one?|
'Not necessarily, I wouldn't feel anything about it though.'
|Now you just have to warp that thought by a thousand years more and it will turn into 'If it's Sahara it's alright'.|
'Can you do something about it?'
|I can, but not while I'll be transversing The Void. So, even if you manipulate the passing of time in your dimension, a few years will go by, and during those years your Ego will be unprotected.|
'Can you teach me how?'
|Sure, but you won't have access to my psionic energy so your mind won't be as sturdy.|
'Why? I thought you only lent me your psionic energy but that I could produce some of my own.'
|Not exactly. I'm your nexus of Psionic Energy (PE). The PE you produce is born from me, this multiverse doesn't have psionic energy in a natural condition, so even if you have the capability of producing it, you won't be able to do so without me.|
'So the Nexus of PE of wherever we are going would pick up the task once we return or will you function again as my Nexus?'
|I'm not sure, probably the first. Though, it is sure that while traveling The Void you'll only keep your innate powers.|
'My Dimensional Lord and Goddess of Souls powers?'
|Yes, you won't have access to any of my Energy Manipulation, Psionic Power, Eyes, void Energy, and such.|
'So I won't be able to use psychokinesis to secure my Ego from the passage of time... fuck!'
|You don't dislike her, why do you care?|
'Wouldn't you care about the impending warping of your sexual preferences?'
|As long as I don't stop liking what I like, I don't think I would care. I will know better after I regain completely my memories, but I'm pretty sure my sexual preferences mutated after The Void consumed me.|
'Ugh... But you're an eldritch terror, it's not the same.'
|Point taken.|
"Fufufu, Sister, you're so cute when you resist!... Although, you are also cute when you don't!"- Sahara captured Sayaka and floated her to the bedchamber.
"Sahara, you were so cute when you didn't lust after your sister."
"Did I ever didn't? I don't remember."- Shara removed both their clothes and cuddled her smaller-bodied sister in her arms and legs, like a pillow.
"It's not even dark outside, why are we going to bed?"
"Shush, Sister. I know you've been stressed after dealing with the darker sides of humanity. Let's just forget about everything and focus on the warmth of my body. Just think of me and nothing else."
"I think I would rather think about Luci."
"Mmmm, I'm not opposed to that, but if you're going to pass the time in your mindscape, take me with you."
"... I can do that."- Sayaka obviously preferred the option in which she didn't have to be left alone with the pervert.
As if by magic, they both fell asleep and soon found themselves in the Starry Ocean.
_____________________________
Land of Fire.
The village once teeming with life and joy, now was a quiet husk of its former self.
The villagers and shinobi murmured quietly about the information made available to all.
There was a sense of shame and lack of responsibility in the air. There was shame about the manipulation they were subjected to under the steering of Root and Danzo Shimura, for example when they blamed Sakumo Hakate, or about Sayaka Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, now known as Namikaze, about the Uchiha and a great many deal of similar occasions, these being the most shameful.
But there was also a sense of avoiding responsibility, of ignoring the personal contribution they made to escalating the problem. They shifted responsibility by arguing that they believed their Hokage, by saying that they did it because everybody else was doing it, by saying they were manipulated, and many other similarly lacking excuses.
There was this shiftiness in the gaze of the shinobi that was hard to miss. Who didn't dislike the Uchiha? Who didn't ignore or bully Naruto? Who didn't fear Sayaka? Who didn't profit from the shamefulness of their leaders? Yes, the shinobi knew of many of their leaders' distrustful behaviors, but they kept silent. Why? Because it was the easy way out.
Besides, no one wanted a target on their back, they were humans, not saints, and the negatives outweighed the positives.
"You want me to be the Hokage of 'that cesspool of corruption you call village'?"- Tsunade Senju asked Jiraiya. They were currently a few towns away from Konohagakure, sharing a private booth with Shizune and a pig.
"Tsunade, you know that it wasn't everyone."- Jiraiya said with an uncomfortable look on his face.
"It wasn't everyone? That's your excuse?!"- Tsunade shouted in rage.
"Tsunade-sama, please don't take it out on Jiraiya-sama."- Shizune pleaded softly by her side.
She breathed in, then out, and then got angry and angrier.
"Sayaka's and Orochimaru's attack on the village left us weakened. Although it is undeniable that Konoha still holds the lead above The Alliance and Kirigakure, it won't be for long without a competent Hokage."- Jiraiya reasoned.
"That's bullshit, you make it sound as if there was a possibility for the other villages, we both know the only reason Konoha is not ruling above the other villages is that the Old Man lost his spine somewhere between the first and second war."- Seeing her breathing exercises were not helping her, Tsunade took a swing of her sake to calm down forcibly.
"That's... not far from the truth, but peace is the path of progress and war the path of wastefulness. You know the way of the Old Man is the way of your grandfather."- Jiraiya said.
"I never met my grandfather so I can't tell for sure, but so what?! If peace is the ultimate goal then the way of Madara was the real path to peace, instead my grandfather left a legacy of peace idiots and my greatuncle a legacy of racists, they somehow combined and you can get an accurate description of the Old Man and his pals."- Tsunade felt like the further this conversation continued the further her sanity was strung.
"... Tsunade, a war could start. Lives would be lost, innocent lives. The village might have wronged you, but the villagers didn't."- Jiraiya pleaded to her heart.
"A war could start? When hasn't that ever not been the case? A war could start the moment another ends—it's no different now. And please, don't try to get the so-called innocents involved in this, Jiraiya. I'm not going to make a life-changing decision based on other people's interests."- Tsunade bottomed up her drink.
"..."- Jiraiya had no more arguments.
"..."- Tsunade felt her anger grow just thinking about 'her' village.
"..."- Shizune knew what was coming and made a safe distance from Tsunade.
"You should be grateful I don't return to finish my sister's job!"- She slammed the table and vaporized it.
"Tsunade-sama! The table!"- This was one of their favorite establishments, Shizune didn't want to be banned.
Tsunade looked at the destroyed table and weaved a hand sign, a wooden table grew and took its place. The fact that she was using the method to develop Wood Release that her brother left her, pained her heart.
"My brother died for that village! For what? Only because Danzo Shimura got afraid of his potential!"- Her Chakra was fluctuating and the rest of the customers of the locale were running away.
"Dan died for it! For what? Only because Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen started a fucking war!"- Shizune's hand above her shoulder was the only thing keeping her rageful but not murderous.
"My child died for it! MY UNBORN CHILD!"- Large tears flowed down her cheeks, Shizune was no different. Her shout made Jiraiya flinch.
"Jiraiya, when I received the news of Hiruzen's death at the hands of my sister I was prepared to return... but to end it! Not to fix it! My grandfather and Madara Uchiha founded that village, I can take it down and destroy it with my own hands, and if that isn't enough I'll ask the Uchiha brat to help me, that way no one should complain!"- She huffed, and tried to calm down.
She failed.
"So, NO! That's my answer, N.O. I don't care about what happens to that thing. I won't step foot on that thing and certainly won't take the Hokage mantle. If you care so much about it you do it. If you can't do it, then don't. Let the Nara guy lead that thing and you go whoring about the elemental nations, I don't care it's not my problem. I'm rather more interested in finding my sister and having her move me out of this fucking world!... At least I'll get to meet Nawaki."- She murmured the last part but the ninja in the room heard her.
"Tsunade... I'm sorry. I didn't know... I blindly trusted the Old Man. I... I'm sorry."- Jiraiya wisened up and chose the only option that didn't end in the destruction of the village and his death trying to stop Tsunade.
"Does it matter, Jiraiya? Dan and my child died before my sister could mark their souls. I will never reunite with them... Maybe Dan, but not my child, I don't even know if my child had a soul to mark... None of this matters, I won't become the next Hokage... as a matter of fact..."- Tsunade looked for her bag and located a scroll.
With a cloud of smoke, her and Shizune's forehead protectors appeared, and Jiraiya's heart froze.
"I'm leaving. You can have my family's properties, claims, and rights. I have already transferred everything to your name. Shizune did as well. You can also have my family's last name. From this day forward, there are no more pureblooded Senju in Konoha, and Jiraiya Senju is now the clan head."- Tsunade showed him a legal paper of his marriage to Tsunade.
"This? When did we get married?"- Jiraiya asked, his eyes wide.
"Last time, when you got black-out drunk, I made you sign the paperwork. This little girl here arranged it all."- Tsunade put a hand atop Shizune's head. Shizune shamefully looked away from the disbelieving eyes of Jiraiya.
"You have been thinking about this since then?"- Jiraiya read the paperwork, there was even his signature in blood.
"Ever since I heard Sayaka was staying in Konoha. Jiraiya Senju, farewell, I don't think we will see each other again. I had the pleasure of enjoying your friendship, and the displeasure of your lust, but overall, you were good to me and my family, I wish you the best, truly."- Tsunade stood and hugged Jiraiya hard and gave him a quick peck on his lips as thank you.
Shizune hugged the old frozen pervert, kissed his cheek goodbye, and left while carrying her pig, running after her teacher.
"Tsunade-sama, do you know where your sister is?"-Shizune asked after catching up to her teacher.
"Orochimaru sent me a snake with some of her future plans during the day of the attack, she should be in Amegakure."- Tsunade.
"Ehhh?! Did Orochimaru-sama inform you of their plans?"
"Yes, but he did so shortly before they started the attack so that I couldn't interfere—not like I would have."- Tsunade remembered getting utterly drunk after reading the information Orochimaru sent her.
"What about you, Shizune? Are you sure about following me? You know, we won't return."- Tsunade asked one last time.
"Tsunade-sama, I only have you and Tonton left. I've lived most of my life outside Konoha, I have no attachments to that place, even less after knowing that they played a part in the conflict that ended my uncle's life."- Shizune hugged her pig tighter.
"Good! Because I have no idea where my sister is gonna take us, but I bet it won't be nearby."- Tsunade recalled those times Eiko showed her memories of the place where she came from.
__________________________
Tsunade wasn't the only one infected with GTFOH-Virus strain, in Sunagakure—by the hundreds—adults put their children to eternal sleep as they watched their little bodies decompose into light particles and white sand.
It became a form of ritual. The parents would put their offspring to sleep and then completely drain their chakra into a chakra crystal—a byproduct of sealing chakra with script into a shard of crystal—and then the child would implode into light and white sand. Then, the parents would drain their chakra and follow them to Abeyance. After this, the crystal would be picked up by a 'cleaner'.
A cleaner was the job of those in charge of collecting the chakra crystals and ensuring these would reach Shukaku, who would ultimately deliver the package to Sayaka.
Sunagakure was never the most populous place, partly because Aya instructed them to be mindful of overpopulation, partly because the Sand People cared more about studying than reproduction, and partly because their long lives granted them a more serene way of life. However, this didn't mean that over the past 900+ years, they hadn't accrued a population big enough.
The resurrection of Kaguya needed an exorbitant amount of chakra, and while Sayaka currently held a Ryūmyaku worth of chakra in her body, it was not enough. This difference was going to be supplemented with the chakra of the Sand People.
Did they care? No. The fanatics did not care about their goddess asking them to commit mass suicide. They all knew that they would go to Abeyance, and while it stung leaving behind their physical belongings, they didn't care that much about it.
The thing that hurt them the most was leaving behind Shukaku, who had chosen to remain on this planet with his siblings and to be the protector of Sunagakure and the inheritor of its wonders and knowledge, so all of those who learned script under him had a tearful goodbye before moving to Abeyance.
This is in part why Sahara had moved in with Sayaka, aside from some key personnel—like those acting as Sayaka's information network or the Futagami clan in Konoha—Sahara was left basically alone.
"..."- Shukaku observed the mostly empty underground city in reminiscence through his senses.
Those decades he spent as a slave to the people he grew to care for, now looked like a funny joke. The people who once hunted him for sport grew to be the most important in his heart for centuries. The worms who he once hated, became the friends who he actively sought to interact with.
"So many memories... Don't you think so, Father?"- Shukaku asked while observing the Eternal Flame burning atop the crystal spire.
"... Since when have you known, Shukaku?"- Hagoromo manifested beside him.
"About what, Father? That you were here or that you've been spying through our souls?"- Shukaku smiled at his father.
"... You must be mad about that, son."- Hagoromo inquired.
"Not really, I'm old now, I understand things I didn't before when I was clouded by my rebelliousness and unruly behavior. I'm guessing that when Madelyne was family to you she must have told you about how Lucian avoided messing with souls, that's why you chose to use our souls as your spying devices, you knew that Lucian would not touch our souls and that Madelyne couldn't."- Shukaku said, now staring at Juno, the satellite sealing Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.
"You have grown so much from the child I left behind... Yes, I thought it was the safest method to keep track of Madi in case she returned and we failed to seal her."
"I don't think that method will work anymore, Father. Madelyne seemed to have gained the ability to interfere with souls."- Shukaku smiled at the thought.
"... Yes, but it's not needed anymore. I have interfered where it's needed, now I just have to let things roll, whether we will win in the end or Madi and Luci is yet to be determined, but I have no more cards to play, what's in motion has already been set that way."- Hagoromo said with a heaviness to his voice.
"Father... you must know how futile that is, right?"- Shukaku cocked an eyebrow at his father's stupidity, he also understood that it was his same father the one that intervened during his resurrection and allowed Hashirama Senju to seal him.
"... It's the only way to secure a chance for the future, and maybe... for a way to bring back our wives."- Hagoromo added with an almost manic look in his purple-ringed eyes.
"... I see."- That's when Shukaku realized that his father was not right in the head.
Maybe it was his betrayal of his mother and Madelyne, maybe it was before that when his wife died, maybe it was the craziness the toad spouted during most of his teenagehood, maybe it was when he realized they had betrayed their mother with the help of the parasite that wanted to enslave the planet, maybe it was the centuries of living he went by while fixated in a single objective to keep his 'sanity' afloat in the ocean of despair his life became...
Maybe it was seeing his perceived enemy attempt to fix what he broke, or maybe it was seeing how selfless she really was and how she wasn't the monster he perceived her as after hearing the toad's words, maybe it was when the dream of the toad never became a reality and Madelyne never healed anyone from a disorder similar to that of his wife and his sister-in-law.
Maybe it was seeing this and all the evidence that pointed at how Madelyne wasn't the villainess his heart made her out to be, implying the 'sacrifice' he and his brother made of over a billion lives and most of the planet was in vain...
Maybe the regret was so damning and heavy that his mind couldn't find a way to cope with it other than to change what reality was really like...
Maybe that's why his brother broke first and did what he did...
"I can't help but wish you the best, Father."- Shukaku was sincere in his words, he had already bargained for the integrity of his father and uncle's souls with Madelyne, he was not worried about them finally dying, he believed it was for the best.
"Thank you, my son."- With these words, Hagoromo dispersed into the natural energy of the world, and Shukaku removed the connection his father had left in his soul.
"I really wish you the best, Father. I hope you and Uncle find your mates in The Purelands."- Shukaku said as he merged with the sand and descended to Sunagakure's first level to collect the final batch of chakra crystals.
____________________________________________
A year went by, and Sayaka got bored of doing nothing in her new home so she approached Konan.
"... You want to help Amegakure?"- Konan asked in disbelief.
"It's more about how you spot a smudge in an otherwise immaculate piece and then you get the impulse to clean it. Oh! I'm not saying that Amegakure is a smudge, I'm saying that you and Nagato are doing excellent work leading a hidden village despite having no education about what leading a hidden village entails... Not like there's a place you could go to learn how to be a Kage... All I'm saying is that I can help you with Amegakure"- Sayaka explained.
"Help with what exactly?"- Konan was effectively the Kage of the village, with Hanzo being the Kage in the light—although long ago dead—and Pain being the Kage in the shadows—no pun intended.
"For one, you're not taking advantage of the abundance of water this village has. You should build a hydroelectric power plant, there is a useful terrain about 20 klicks south from here that should work for that."- Sayaka brought a map out from the office's cabinet and showed Konan the location she was talking about.
"What's a hydroelectric power plant? Is there another way to produce electricity than by burning fuel?"- Konan asked. She knew of the preferred fuels for electrical generation but she didn't know of what usage water would have in electricity production other than a medium.
"Uhm, yes."- Sayaka answered, somewhat dubiously.
'I haven't been paying much attention lately, but what level of technology do we have here?'
|About the 80's from my world, but with no cars and mostly no guns. Some sectors are wholly lacking, such as education, transport, weaponry, communications, and as you have discovered, power generation.|
'Damn! Sungakure was mostly doing nuclear power plants, right?'
|Yes, but that's because we limited their advancement, theoretically, they could have been using quantum foam by this era had we not limited them.|
'This backwater planet!'
"Instead of using steam to move a turbine you use liquid water flowing down a gradient, that's pretty much how hydroelectric power works."- Sayaka summarized hydroelectric power into a sentence.
"... What resources do you need to build it?"- Konan understood that with this power plant, Amegakure wouldn't need to spend billions of ryō annually on fuel.
"You can consider this one a freebie, I'll build it myself, but I'll train one hundred people in the different roles needed to keep the dam running, you will have to select them and make sure they attend my lessons daily, and if you want to learn how to build it you'll have to pay attention, I will mostly use Earth Release and Water Release."- Sayaka believed this was a good hobby for the next year.
"... Really, why are you doing this?"- Konan asked, once more, suspiciously.
"... Konan, I think you have an incomplete impression of me."- Sayaka said after staying silent for a moment.
"I'm not only a monster to your standards, but I'm also incredibly caritative. Aside from spending my time more productively, I will also help this barely afloat ship you call Amegakure, I really have no other motives."- Sayaka was not lying, she had two more years to idle about, and she'd rather spend them in something other than being the plush doll of her sister.
"... Alright... Thank you."- Konan replied.
The next day she gathered the more talented youths in Water and Earth Release.
Sayaka used Earth Release to create a model of the dam Lucian had designed for her.
She showed them the steps the construction would take, in a very simplified manner.
Deviating the river, reinforcing the bases, and then building the dam from the ground up. In reality, with an almost godly control of Earth Release, building a dam was simple. Granted that you knew about Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Material Science, Structural and Civil Engineering, Geology and Soil Science, Hydrology and more... Yeah, simple.
"Can we build this?"- One of the students asked in incredulity after seeing the complex structure Sayaka was proposing.
"Yes, you won't be as fast as me, but you should be able to do it. I marked about 15 spots that should be suitable, maybe the future of this country is in selling energy instead of housing wars."- Sayaka's words were both filled with good wishes and reproach.
|Madelyne.|- Lucian suddenly talked to her.
'Eh? What's up?'
|I will be silent for a while, my main soul will be busy.|
'What does that mean?'
|Apparently something happened in The Void, so I might be slightly 'distracted'.|
'Should I worry about it?'
|No, you just won't be having me reply to your queries for a while.|
'That's sad and lonely, but okay. Do you know how long this 'while' will take?'
|It's hard to tell because time doesn't exist on the outside.|
'I'll manage in your absence, Luci.'
|I know you will, I'll be here, just silent. If you need to die, die, nothing will change in our plans.|
'That's good to know, let me know when you're back.'
"Hey! It's not like we wanted to house the wars of the big villages, like yours!"- A girl retorted.
"It's your fault for being weak. If you had damaged enough the shinobi of the other villages they would think twice before stepping into your turf."- Sayaka coldly replied.
"Damaged enough? What do you mean by that? We are a small village for something! If it wasn't for Hanzo-sama I can't even think what would be left of our village!"- A boy added.
"Eh? You don't know? You guys could have dropped the dead into their water sources and shipped the putrid corpses to their villages. You could get one of yours sick with a viral disease and then have the sacrifice spread the virus to the invaders. Sure, some of you would have died, but you were already dying, no?"- How she worded it made more than a few shudder.
"..."- There was a silence shared among the perplexed students.
"We were already doing chemical warfare through poison, but it wasn't enough."- Konan said, she was part of the class.
"Normally viral diseases have an easier time spreading in humid and temperate places, like this village and a few of the others. Well, it's not going to change anything now, if you didn't do it, then you didn't do it, talking about it now is not gonna bring back your dead. We're getting off-topic. I gave Konan-san two booklets with the jutsu you'll need to learn. Earth and Water Release. Once you have a basic mastery of all the jutsu in there, I'll show you how to use them while I build the dam, capiche?"
"...?"
"... Sayaka, what's the last word?"- Konan asked.
"Ah, sorry. That means 'do you understand?'"- Sayaka thought that maybe she was off of her game because she got worried about Lucian's notice.
__________________________
The Void
The Void could be considered a 'something' that is 'nothing' that has two phases.
One phase is chaotic. Sometimes it's concepts, other times it's numbers or mathematical expositions brought to actuality. It's not limited to that, sometimes there's matter, some others there's only energy, sometimes it pure Chaos, and some others it resembles Reality in great detail.
Even in all of this Chaos, it could be considered the most 'friendly' phase of The Void.
The second phase is the Emptiness, Nothingness, Nullity, White, Absence, the Dearth of All that Is, the Scarcity of Everything, the Annulment of that which Exists, the Vacuity, it can have multiple descriptors, and all of them be lacking, just like itself.
These two phases when combined, make up the paradoxical realm of The Void. That which rejects everything, yet everything exists within it.
Setting aside the instances in which Aragorn/Lucian manipulates the Void, it's always in a constant flux between these two phases. This is its nature.
Currently, outside the shiny multiverse of the Shinobi World, Lucian's soul rests while keeping one tendril grasping this multiverse. Lucian's soul is so massive—even with its lacking chunks—that a tendril of it can entwine the entire Shinobi Multiverse.
While he doesn't know it, because he doesn't remember it, after his previous death, he absorbed more of The Void and 'half-advanced' the half-step he was lacking.
In a way, he should have become an Abstract, just like Death...
But he made a mistake in interpretation. Aragorn used as a reference the power system of entities who operate within that which is the Marvel Multiverse, yet Aragorn is not an entity that's native to it.
For example, the Void Beasts that roam The Void, what power level would these entities stand on?
Are these Void Beats stronger than an Abstract? Are they Weaker? Are these beasts at the level of the Absolute Creators (Like TOAA in Marvel)?
The answer is hard to grasp, and the question is entirely wrong. It would be like comparing speed with weight, color with texture, and distance with timeframes. Meaning that it would only make sense in specific circumstances.
But Aragorn, in his somewhat human mindset, tried to use a form of reference he understood to measure himself, which is why he thought he was just below an abstract in power.
He was not entirely wrong, but then again, he was ultimately using the incorrect scale.
If he really was just below an Abstract in power, then Madelyne should have ceased to exist entirely when Death granted them an End/Death. He should not have had the power to protect her, yet Madelyne still exists. That's one of the discrepancies found when he compared his level to that of the Abstracts.
But he was not in any condition to realize this, after all even after more than ~17 Billion years, he was still missing parts of his soul, his memories were partially restored but not yet fully patched.
Now, while Lucian was taking part in Sayaka's life, The Void around him changed into its phase of Nullity and stayed like that...
|What?|- He was perplexed. Even with his lacking memories, he knew this was not normal.
Initially, Lucian thought that The Void was fulfilling part of the Paradox: 'It's always in a constant flux between these two phases yet isn't'... But that changed when he felt something in the Nothingness make contact with him.
}{#########}{
That's what he 'understood'. As far as he knew and surmised—also what TOAA told him—nothing could traverse The Void under normal circumstances. And he was certainly not making contact with a Void Beast. So, what was this?
He used his All-Seeing Sight to peer into the White and spotted an impossible form to understand for an existence not born from The Void, he was able to discern a 'shape'. The word is loosely used here since there can't be shape or form in the absence of space.
Nevertheless, this was a shape he recognized... it was the mirrored shape of his soul.
}{%#%##}{
The something within the Emptiness communicated once more, but this time Lucian's soul changed and shaped the meaning in an intrinsic way that felt 'natural' to him—maybe to them both—the message was loaded with meaning, understanding, conceptualization, intention, will, sense, and more. But to Lucian, it translated to:
}{Lucivacui/Lux Vacui}{
Which evoked something in him, something primal, raw, unfiltered, essential, and integral... it was his name.
Beyond being simply words, it was intent and conceptualization of who or/and what he was, it was as if the higher entity—with the word 'entity' being loosely used—either named him or called him by the name he had never known it was his.
|%̵̨̕#̵̣͛%̶̤̈́#̴̠̇#̸͔͛?|- To which he repeated his Name for confirmation in his soul aria using conceptual language.
}{+}{- The response he got was as loaded as the mention of his name but all of it indicated 'Affirmation' or 'Positive'.
|A̸̜͑m̷̹͌ ̶̞̐I̵̝̓ ̶̘͒p̴̼͠a̴̢͆r̶͇͠t̴̺̓ ̸̨́ȏ̸̮f̴̢̀ ̴̮͠ỳ̵͚ō̴̼u̸̙̎?|- Lucian asked what the most logical conclusion indicated. {Am I part of you?}
}{$++++%#$#$%#$######$$%#$+++%#$%#$%#-----$%#$%#$}{- The something in the void once more sent a loaded statement.
This 'simple' statement was so heavily packed with intent and explanations that Lucian needed a few centuries to process its meaning.
And even then, the explanation was hard to grasp.
If The Void is a paradox, then certain necessities must be fulfilled to fall in place in the paradox of its being.
For example, if it's said that The Void has no sense of self, then it must find a way for it to exhibit a sense of self while having none. If it's said that The Void has no soul, then it must have one while lacking one. If it's said that The Void has no Id, then it must possess one while devoid of it. If it's said that it has an Ego, then it shall have one while not.
Another example could be how it shall have an Overlord while lacking one. Maybe in the 'future' or the 'past' a Void Overlord reigned and controlled The Void, but because it lacks a concept of Time, it can be said that it does have an Overlord at this instance while it doesn't.
Every paradox is fulfilled and yet none is. This is the way of The Void.
The absence of concepts—Null Phase—while also displaying concepts—Chaos Phase—allows for the existence of infinite paradoxes. All of it sublimates into the complicated mesh that The Void is.
In this mesh, Lucian/Aragorn plays the role of the Ego with some parts of the Id, be not mistaken, Lucian/Aragorn is part of The Void, but The Void is not part of him, and while The Void has a Conscious Part—Lucian/Aragorn—it doesn't need it to operate, just like how Aragorn doesn't need his Mind or Body to think or exist while in the Marvel Multiverse.
This is why the scale that Aragorn used to understand his power level was wrong, and the self-imposed restriction he had to avoid stepping into the next realm of existence (Abstracts) was not acceptable to The Void, and to make matters worse—while in an 'incomplete' state, according to The Void—Lucian/Aragorn was carrying a foreign soul while lacking in his level of existence.
So it acted 'subconsciously' to correct this 'Insufficiency', which resulted in the 'battle' Lucian experienced with The Void.
Battle might be not the appropriate term, because The Void was making sure Lucian advanced to the next level while it blessed him. The problem was the foreign soul he was carrying, The Void could only allow a blessing for Lucian/Aragorn, not Madelyne.
On a separate note, to fulfill the paradox: 'The Void could only allow a blessing for Lucian/Aragorn', The SurfaceSelf and the CoreSelf exist because this means that while The Void was blessing only one existence, it was blessing more than one. But, Madelyne was not part of this deal.
Madelyne was not part of it, Madelyne was not Aragorn. So it was not truthfully opposing or prohibiting Lucian from carrying a soul within him, nor was it trying to steal Madelyne from him, as he first thought. It was trying to separate them to finish blessing Lucian/Aragorn. But Lucian fought back...
So while he advanced to the next level, it was an incomplete advancement, and that led to the current situation.
...
...
...
|A̸̲͊p̸̺͒o̸̠͊l̸͗ͅȏ̷̫g̸̩͑i̴̧͊é̷̮s̴͙̏.̶̱̓|- Lucian apologized as he realized how idiotic the situation was. {Apologies.}
It was not completely absurd, though. Madelyne would have 100% died if The Void separated her from Lucian, but he didn't need to fight so fiercely. He could have created a universe for Madelyne—as temporary as that would have been—and then allowed The Void to finish blessing him.
But there was no need for regrets, neither of them regretted it. When you're The Void and its conscious part, you don't care about a conflict between selves that spanned billions of years, why would you? The closest representation would be a clash of multiple personalities, yet without any actual consequence, that's what it was to them/him/her/it.
So Lucian accepted the blessing or completed the step into the next level—both expressions being correct—the emptiness shaped like him brought closer a tendril and mixed it with one of Lucian's and he gained reign over the concept of Paradoxical Existence.
The something shaped like Lucian shared a message that could be summarized as 'Agreement', 'Positiveness', and more, which was the closest it could convey to 'Happiness', yet it wasn't the emotion of happiness because Aragorn held all of its emotions.
When the increase of existence was achieved, the something shaped like Lucian disappeared—just like how it never was there—and The Void went back to its constant flux between phases.
And the silver of his soul that inhabited Sayaka's, woke up.
|What did I miss?|
'Ah, Luci, I missed you lots. Your absence was greatly felt, Love.'
|I finished dealing with the circumstances that demanded my complete attention.|
'That's good, Luci... Also... We might have started a full-blown war with the other Hidden Villages, and by we, I mean me.'
*BOOOOOOOM!*- A Tailed-Beast bomb clashed with a beam of Dust Release from Sayaka.
|Was that the Eight-Tails?|
'Yes... The little shit sided with his jinchūriki and shared the objective of our plan with his host. Now, everybody is out to get us, but Madara and I believe that Hagoromo and/or Hamura are behind this, well that's basically confirmed at this point, it's just that their actions are so idiotic that I found it hard to believe, they possibly turned full on crazy, I don't know.'
|Madara was resurrected?|
'Yes, I marked Nagato's soul, made a deal with him, and he sacrificed himself. Konan was killed some time ago while we were capturing the Two-Tails, so he was eager to join her.'
"Monster! You're the scourge of this world! DIE!"- A man with a Tenseigan and a Kokugan, two vertical horns, and a horizontal one shouted while aiming at Sayaka with a black staff.
"No u!"- Sayaka blasted his mind with a psionic mind-warping attack while blinking away from the strike.
|... There's too much going on, how did you end up as the enemy of the world? And is that a fusion of Hamura and Isshiki?|
'It's that damn dam! Everything started with it! I think we underestimated its impact. Well, Obito was done in by Madara when he sided with us, so at least there's that.'
|Why? Let's start from the beginning, please.|- It was getting confusing even to the incarnation of illogicalness.
'Right, otherwise I don't think I can explain this mess.'- Sayaka took advantage of the momentary confusion of her opponent to have a conversation with Lucian.
"HAHAHAHAHA! COME ON, SAGE! LET'S DANCE!"
In the distance, Madara can be seen fighting with a Hagoromo-look-alike, which only served to add confusion to Lucian.
_________________________________
{A/N:
Sorry about the lack of a Side Story last week, I've been planning the conclusion of this Arc and everything got overcomplicated, so I needed some time to plan things out.
With this chapter we start the last part of the Arc, don't panic... this chapter will be massive and divided into multiple parts, possibly with one or two Side Stories and maybe an interlude in between.
I realized that I needed to start the last chapter before I got lost in the Slice of Life. Don't worry, you'll see in the upcoming flashback that there will be some Slice of Life of Sayaka's stay in Akatsuki.
In conclusion, we just started with the last chapter but since it's so big the epilogue is still weeks away.
I hope you enjoyed it!
}